Flashforward
Published by The Washington County Historical Society
118 East Dickson Street * Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
May 2016
Whole Number 88
PRESERVING OUR PAST FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Arkansas Statehood Day
Sunday, June 12, 2016
2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
First Christian Church of Fayetteville
220 N. College Avenue • Fayetteville, AR
The Hon. David Pryor will be the Statehood Day Celebraon speaker for the Washington
County Historical Associaon’s annual observance on Sunday, June 12th, in a program at the
First Chrisan Church of Faye'eville.
The doors will open at 1:30 p.m. with the program to begin at 2 p.m.
Serving as moderator and conversaonalist with former U.S. Senator Pryor will be Kyle
Kellams, News Director and Host of Ozarks At Large on KUAF, the Naonal Public Radio
staon in Faye'eville.
Pryor, who has served over 40 years in elected offices from Arkansas, first as a state
Representave from Ouachita County, Congressman from the 4th Congressional District,
Governor of Arkansas and three terms as the U.S. Senator from Arkansas will reflect upon
the history of the state.
The “conversaon” will be a queson and answer exchange between Pryor and Kellams
and not a formal lecture.
A5er the “conversaon” cookies and lemonade will be served to the membership and all
guests.
Parking at the church is limited so we ask those who are able to please park in the
Washington County Courthouse Parking lot.
Congratulations to Tony Wappel on receiving the 2016 Mayor’s Award for Outstanding
Service in Historic Preservation for his book with Dennis L. Garrison titled On the Avenue:
An Illustrated History of Fayetteville’s US Highway 71B. This award is part of the City of
Fayetteville Preservation Awards presented by the Historic District Commission. It is given in
recognition of exemplary service in historic preservation and advancing the interest of
preserving the cultural heritage and history of Fayetteville.
We have copies of Tony’s book for sale in our bookstore. Stop
by Tuesday through Thursday from 1 until 4 and pick up a
copy.
Give someone a GIFT MEMBERSHIP in WCHS
_$15 Senior, Student, Libraries __$25 Family/General
__$50 Trail Blazer
__$100 Explorer
__$250 Wagon Master __$500 Pioneer
Name __________________________________________
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Address________________________________________
City, State, Zip__________________________________
Your Name_____________________________________
Your Address___________________________________
Your City, State & Zip ____________________________
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WCHS is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. The portion of your
membership above $25 is tax deductible.
Washington County Historical Society Gift Form
I wish to contribute to the Washington County Historical Society
In the following amount:
____$5,000 Visionary
____$1,000 Matilda Tebbetts
____ $250 Marian Tebbetts
____$2,500 Jonas Tebbetts
____$500 Hale Tebbetts
____$100 Lillian Tebbetts
Other Amount ___________________________________
Make checks payable to: Washington County Historical Society
Mail to: 118 East Dickson Street; Fayetteville, AR 72701
Acknowledgement will be provided for all gifts.
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I/we wish to remain anonymous ____
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WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2016 LECTURE SERIES - SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2016 2:00 p.m.
The Inclusion of the Prairie Grove Telephone Booth
in the National Register of Historic Places.
Prairie Grove Christian Church
611 Wayne Villines Road
Prairie Grove, Arkansas
Phone Booth 7-7-2014 after being hit by a SUV
Phone Booth 8-5-2014 after repairs
Ralph Wilcox, National Register Survey Coordinator of the
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, will detail the
recent unique inclusion of the Prairie Grove Telephone
Booth on the National Register. Prairie Grove Telephone
Company executives and employees will also be in attendance to speak about this noteworthy addition to historic
preservation.
For more information call 479 521-2970 or email [email protected]
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“Postage Stamp” Buildings in Fayetteville
By Jerry Hogan
Despite a recent development boom, Fayetteville still has many architecturally and historically interesting buildings and houses. One unusual type that might be overlooked is the “postage stamp” building
(one that is no more than a few feet wide and long). This kind of tiny little structure pops up here and there
in various locations around town. Because they are so small, sometimes these buildings might not get noticed as we walk or drive around town. Three of these nifty little places are shown below.
300 W. Mountain
This little building was constructed about 1933 and originally was a Gulf Service Station.
The small blue building to the
west was a mechanic’s bay. It
remained a Gulf Station until the
mid-1950s when it became a
Skelley Service Station. From
the mid-1960s through most of
the 1990s, it was a radiator shop.
Recently it housed a bicycle
shop and a clothing store.
352 N. West Avenue
Built in 1927 by D. W. and Inez Read, this little brick structure
was home to the Henry J. Dever’s grocery store from around
1935 until the 1950s. According to Fayetteville City Directories,
in 1957 it was home to the Fayetteville Humane Society; in 1965
it housed Scott Surgical Appliances; and in the mid-1980s was
used as a warehouse by the Bike Route bicycle shop. Old World
Classics (stone cast) was here in 2005 and currently it is Mae’s
Emporium.
204 N. Block Avenue
Over the years, this tiny building, now home to The Curious
Book Shoppe, has housed many businesses, including an insurance company, a beauty salon, and a graphics store. Although it was probably built around 1907-1908 by J. A. Hudson, the first reference to a business at this address is in the
1947 directory when it was a household appliance store.
► Article idea and buildings described were suggested by local preservationist Annie Dowling.
Sources: Fayetteville Directories 1935-36, 1939, 1947, 1957, 1965, 1973, 1985, 1996, 2005;
Tony Wappel, Washington County Archives. All photos by J. B. Hogan.
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Oaks Cemetery - Maybe You Didn’t Know
By Jerry Hogan
Oaks Cemetery, founded in 1867, was placed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places in 2015.
This historic cemetery is the final resting place for many of Fayetteville’s African-American
citizens, including people who were slaves. A grant from the city of Fayetteville is helping the
caretakers of Oaks Cemetery with some needed renovations on the property, including new fencing
on its western side.
Many well-known local people are buried here. Long-time residents will
easily recognize familiar family names, such as Parker, Carr, Blackburn and
Deffebaugh, of those interred in Oaks Cemetery. The following are just a few
of those people whose lives, though often nearly forgotten today, are nonetheless woven into the fabric of Fayetteville history.
Willis Pettigrew was a slave of the Pettigrew family of the Farmington,
Arkansas area. Pettigrew was a fixture on the Fayetteville scene for nearly
fifty years after the civil war. He was known for delivering wares around
town in an oxen-driven cart and was featured in a very well-known photograph called “The Old South” along with fellow former slaves Sam Van
Winkle, Charlie Richardson, Squire Jahagen and Nick Clemmons. Pettigrew’s
gravestone is located in the south-central section of Oaks Cemetery.
Ollie and Lem McPherson were brothers and they lie side by side in Oaks Cemetery. Ollie was a
World War I veteran, serving in the Missouri 415 Reserve Service Battalion, and Lem became the
first black patrolman in Fayetteville history. Lem was killed in the line of duty on April 28, 1928.
For many years, Lem’s gravestone lay unmarked but thanks to the caretakers of Oaks Cemetery his
location next to brother Ollie was identified and the Fayetteville Police Department was able to
place a fine new stone honoring him. Lem McPherson is also honored on the national roster of
police officers who died in the line of duty.
George Ballard moved to Fayetteville from the Cincinnati, Arkansas area in
1882. He married Rosetta Dart and for many years lived just behind the
historic Washington County Jail in a small home on E. Mountain Street.
Ballard worked many jobs including janitor at the jail but he is best known for
being a poet. His cleverly titled collection of poems Ozark Ballards was
published by the Fayetteville Democrat publishing company in 1928 after he
wrote a nationally recognized poem upon the death of Woodrow Wilson. It is
an unfortunate reality that Ballard rests in an unmarked grave in Oaks
Cemetery.
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Company B - Second Arkansas Infantry
National Guard, U. S. A.
At the beginning of the Spanish-American War in 1898, favorite sons and university students volunteered for
service. The Mexican border conflict followed, and on June 16, 1916, Company B, Arkansas National Guard,
received orders to mobilize. The unit returned on March 15, 1917, less than a month before the United States
declared war on Germany (April 6, 1917) and entered World War I.
From the Encyclopedia of Arkansas Online
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Images of Spring at Headquarters House
Our sincere appreciaon and thanks to the
Master Gardeners of Washington County for
creang and maintaining our lovely gardens
and grounds. And many thanks to our living
history interpreters that bring history to life at
Headquarters House.
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Non-Profit Organization
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Fayetteville, Arkansas
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The Washington County Historical Society
118 East Dickson Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
479-521-2970
[email protected]
www.headquartershouse.org
Office & Guided Tour Hours
Tuesday—Thursday
1:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m.
Group tours by Appointment
June 12 - Statehood Day at the First Christian Church 2:00
July 9 - WCHS Lecture Series - Prairie Grove Christian Church 2:00
August 20 - Ice Cream Social
Officers
Kim Smith, President
Steve Litzinger, First Vice President
David Martinson, Second Vice President
David Demorotski, Recording Secretary
Judy Brittenum, Corresponding Secretary
Theresa Ewing, Treasurer
Charles Alison, Flashback Editor-In-Chief
Judy Costello, Director of Historic Programs
Jerry Hogan, Past President
Flashforward
Published by the
Washington County Historical Society
118 East Dickson Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Phone: 479-521-2970
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.headquartershouse.org
Charles Alison, Flashback Editor
Tess Kidd, Flashforward Editor
Board of Directors
Nancy Allen, Brenda Blagg, Bobby Braly, Margaret Clark,
Ellen Compton, Jane Davis, John Paul Davis,
Carolyn Leonard, Allyn Lord, Mike Macechko, Dee Ness,
Conrad Odom, Janet Ousterhout, Susan Parks-Spencer,
Hoyt Purvis, Maylon Rice, Dustin Seaton, Lyle Sparkman,
Jackie Stites
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